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Three ways the product locator can help your work

July 20, 2022
By Curt Trnka | Editorial Staff
Fastenal employee using product locator
If you’ve ever thought, “How can I avoid hunting for inventory?” Well, then let’s talk about the Product Locator.

This technology allows you to take back time in your day. No more looking for parts you are sure you have but can’t find in the plant. Instead, walk over to a Product Locator and use a touchscreen to search for – and find – exactly what you need.

Here are three ways you can use this with your workflows.


1. Reduce time and labor spent locating products
The Product Locator application is often paired with the FAST10K drawer device. Once installed, it can be used to find on-hand parts across many devices within a facility or under an account.

Simply put: This drives efficiency.

​For shops with lots of parts that live in drawers, this is the way to go. Who can this help? CNC operators, anyone working in the metal-removal world, or anyone building out a job sheet or job change. 

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2. Fewer spot-buys of on-hand inventory
How can you reduce emergency purchases? Well, before you rush out to get a part, check the Product Locator. With both simple and refined searches, you can double-check that the one thing you need isn’t already on hand in your facility.

Search by product: The system allows for category and attribute refinement as well as a keyword search for a more flexible experience.
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Search by location: This provides a high-level view across all accounts, driving visibility to all vending and bin stock locations managed within your facilities.
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Fastenal employee using Product Locator

3. Faster transactions, total traceability
The FastVend 10K drawers extend the benefits of vending to a wide range of cutting tools and abrasive products.

Scales are built into each drawer to automatically sense and report the exact quantity taken by each user. This provides traceability and a grab-and-go experience with no RFID tagging required.
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"Every minute spent hunting through drawers and bins is time you can’t use to finish your work," said James Self, a director for our metalworking team. "This is a game-changer. It takes our best dispensing device for cutting tools and makes it interactive and user-friendly."


The takeaway
The days of needing to flip through a binder are behind us. And you don’t have to scan over countless labels to find your part.
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Now, you just use the touchscreen to search by part number, type, or really any piece of information to find the part you need.
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You may also like:
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How a Strategic Partnership Can Help Streamline Your Operation
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Top Features
  • Easy-to-use touchscreen
  • Support for hardline, WIFI, and air cards
  • Provides inventory state of all managed stocking locations
  • Multi-language user interface

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